{"id":3662,"date":"2012-05-24T20:20:57","date_gmt":"2012-05-24T10:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=3662"},"modified":"2021-02-01T13:50:15","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T03:50:15","slug":"committee-formed-to-discuss-wind-farm-proposal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2012\/05\/24\/committee-formed-to-discuss-wind-farm-proposal\/","title":{"rendered":"Committee Formed To Discuss Wind Farm"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A photomontage from Niagara Road looking west, taken from AGL’s Landscape and Visual Impact Assessment<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May 24, 2012<\/strong><\/p>\n

A community consultative committee has been formed to improve communications between local local landholders and energy company AGL over the proposed Coopers Gap wind farm<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Discussions were held at a private meeting at the Cooranga North Hall today attended by company representatives and about 45 local farmers and other stakeholders.<\/p>\n

AGL wants to build a 350MW wind farm in two stages at Coopers Gap, between Dalby and Kingaroy. The wind farm would be connected to a new sub-station along the Western Downs to Halys transmission line<\/strong><\/a> currently being built by Powerlink.<\/p>\n

The Cooranga \/ Boyneside communities have been split with vocal critics publicly attacking the proposal on health and environmental grounds, while other landholders have welcomed the project.<\/p>\n

An AGL spokesperson said this afternoon that seven groups would be represented on the consultative committee. Their first meeting would be held at Cooranga North Hall on June 14.<\/p>\n

South Burnett Mayor Wayne Kratzmann has indicated previously that he wants Council to take the lead in the discussions over the project.<\/p>\n

However there is still confusion over what government body will ultimately have the authority to assess the application for approval.<\/p>\n

AGL had been expected to seek Community Infrastructure Designation which would grant the State Government planning approval rights, not the local South Burnett Regional Council.<\/p>\n

However Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington<\/strong>, who attended today’s meeting at Cooranga North, said the State Government has no mechanisms in place to assess wind farm developments at present.<\/p>\n

“Currently the State Government is co-ordinating a review of the planning process, encompassed within that will be the problems around evaluating wind farms,” she said<\/p>\n

“The current process is totally inadequate.”<\/p>\n